Rock-drill



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. H. J CLARK.

ROCK DRILL.

Patented Oct. 19, 1886.

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H. J. CLARK.

RRRRRRRR L. l No. 351,310. Patented Oct. 19, 1886.

l' mi s sheetsheet 3.

(N0 Model.)

ROCK DRILL.

VVE/WOR:

Patented Oct. 19

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y mmm I 1 IIIII UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEo HORACE J. CLARK, OFVESTFIELD, NEW' YORK.

ROCK-DRILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,310, dated October19, 1886.

Application filed March 27, 1886. Serial No, 196,771.

To @ZZ whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE J. CLARK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Westfield, in the countyofChautauqua, State ofNew York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Rock-Drills, of whichthe Vfollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention has relation to steam rockdrills; and it has for itsobject, among other things, a simplification of the construction, areduction in the number ot`parts,in the weight ofthe machine as a whole,and in the necessary consumption of steam in operating the same, and theapplication of power in giving the blow or operating a stroke of thedrill in such manner as to reduce to the minimum or entirely overcomeany recoil of such blow which will operate to lift the machine or strainit in any of its parts. Heretofore in rockdrills of this character ithas been necessary to load the same by attaching weights to the legs ofthe tripod or machinesupport, and it has been necessary to employ steamnot only to produce'the operating-stroke of the drill, but to employ thesame steam at the same pressure to lift the drill for a successivestroke, and in such cases it is apparent that at the completion of eachstroke of the drill there is still exerted thereon a greater portion of,if not the entire, pressure exerted by the steam, whereby a powerfulrecoil, having atendency to lift the machine, occurs at each stroke ofthe drill. By my invention I avoid these and other disadvantages in theoperation of steam rock-drills and secure other benefits hereinafterspecied. Y

Referring to the drawings, Figure lis a substantially central verticalsection of a steamdrill embodying my invention, the supporting mechanismbeing detached. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. Sis a side elevationofthe supporting and anchoring mechanism, the framework being shown insection. Fig. et is aside elevation showing the means for rotating thedrill. Fig. 5 is aplan of the foot-piece. Fig. 6 is a detail showing theleg-clamping device,

.and Fig. 7 is a side elevation of one of the cylinder-head bolts.

Like letters indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

(No model.)

I n this instance I embody the novel features of my inventionl in thatclass of steam rockdrills in which the drill A, Fig. 3, is secured to areciprocating cylinder, A, in any suitable u manner,or by means of athreaded connection of the drill with the cylinder, as shown. Thecylinder is mounted in the framework B,which may be cast in a singlepiece and severed at its lower end diametrically, as on the line B, Fig.2, in order to provide suitable leg-clamping mechanism, as hereinafterdescribed; or the frame-work may be formed in halves provided withflanges and secured together by bolts, as is customary in theconstruction of cast-metal frame-work in all classes of machines. Themain portion of the framework is in this instance made open, and is ofsuch circumferential extent as is necessary to give a sufficientbearing-surface for the cylinder in its reciprocation, dand at the upperpart is provided with handles B, and with a valve-chest, B3, and portsIB4 Bf. At the cxtreme upper end the frame-work is provided with astuffingboX, B, for the valve-stein.

At the center of the head of the frame-work is secured a fixed tubularpiston-rod, O, provided with ports C near the upper face ofthe pistonO2. Encircling the piston-rod is a sleeve, D, which is secured to theframe-work, or which may be formed as a part thereof, and this sleeve isscrew-threaded and has mounted thereon a nut, D. The cylinder-head A2 isapertured to snugly fit the piston-rod, and may be provided with asuitable stuffing-box, if desired. .A coiled spring, E, is arrangedbetween the nut D and the cylinder-head. In this instance, in order toprovide for an automatic drill-rotating mechanism, I have mounted on thecylinderhead A2 a flanged collar, E, against which the spring E bears,thus providing for the free rotation of the drill-turning disk F,mounted on the head below the flange of the collar E', whereby said diskF may have a slight rising-and-falling movement with relation to thesleeve and collar, and also a free rotary movement by means of deviceshereinafter described.

The valve G consists of a simple open-ended cylinder arranged in thevalve-chest B3, and connected with the valve-stem G in any suitablemanner, in this instance by means of a IOO ` long pinion, I',

val ve, so that each is closed while the other is open.

H is a rod extending from the valve-,stem t the tappet-rod I, which inthis instance passes through the handle B2, and is provided with ameshing with a gear, .12, mounted 'on the handle. The upper end of thetappet-rod is provided with a thumb-nut, I3. By these devices-that is,either by the pinion VI' and gear 12or by the thumb nut l alone-'thetappet-rod I may be rotated, and being screw-threaded, as at 1*,where the tappetblock J', carrying the tappet J, is mounted thereon, thelength of the stroke of the cylinder, and consequently thesupply ofsteam entering the cylinder, may be regulated. The

tappet J projects into the path of the cylinder A, so that when the sameis elevated the tappet-rod I is also elevated, and through the medium ofthe bar or rod H elevates the valvestem and valve to cut off the supplyof steam.

The lower end of the tappet-rod is provided with an inward bend, l5,which projects beneath or into the path of the cylinder, so as to bestruck by the same at the completion of a downward reciprocationthereof, and thus communicate motion to the valve G through the mediumof the tappets-rod, bar H, and Valve-stem G', whereby the valve isdepressed and steam admitted into the cylinder between the fixed.piston-.head and the upper head of the cylinder. y

The means for supporting the drill consist of legs K, which are adaptedto fit verticallybored lugs B7, formed as a part of the framework andlocated at its lower end, which is perforated, as at B8, for the passagetherethrough of the drill. As before stated, the lower end of the frameis divided diametrically on the line B', so that the perforated lugs arealso divided, and in said lower end, and passing through the same,4 is abolt, L, which is curved at L', to conform to the opening Bs in theframe. Ahand or other nut or nuts, L2,serve to bind the two parts of theframe together, and thus secure thelegs K in the lugs. This bindingaction is intended to be such that the frame- Work may be gradually andintermittently moved or driven down the legs by contact of the lowercylinder-head thereon, or upon any suitable cushion interposed betweensaid head and the frame, as is customary, whereby as the hole drilled inthe rock increases in depth an automatic advancement of the drill issecured.

M represents a base or foot piece which I employ,and into which each ofthe legs K is inserted and fixed, either by a screw-thread,

as shown, or by any other suitable means. The foot-piece M has a centralaperture, M', which merges into slots M2, and it also has perforationsM,for the reception of clamping` hooks N, which are adjustably securedby means of nuts N' N, the latter being set or binding nuts, which maybe mounted directly on the hooks, or upon bolts extending upwardly fromthe base-piece and through the slots M2 thereof, as shown at the rightof Fig. 3.

The binding-hooks may be either right angularin form, as shown at theright of said figure, or inclined, so as to take under, as hereinafterdescribed. Telescopic or other guy rods, O, may be employed inconnection with the legs, if desired, and in this instance they arepivotally secured to the upper Aendsv thereof, as at O', and arejointed, as at O2, so

as to give freedom of motion in any direction,

in order to support the machine at different inclinations. To facilitatesuch dispositions of the machine, the legs K may be pivotally secured tothe foot-piece by means ot' bolts P, passing through the legs andfoot-piece, the latter being apertured to permit of oscillation of thelegs upon the bolts.

'It now remains to describe the drill-turning device, and this consistsof the disk F, heretofore mentioned, mounted loosely upon the uppercylinder-head. This disk has upon its lower surface ratchet-teeth F',which take into ratchet-teeth Q, arranged upon the cylinderhead. j Inthis instance I utilize the cylinderhead bolts, and form. them with aninclined face, Q', and a vertical face, Q", so that they perform theusual function of securing the cylinder-head to the cylinder and theadditional function of ratcl1et-teeth. The edge of the plate F isprovided with lugs F2, which embrace the edges of a diagonally disposedor curved cam-bar, It, secured at each end to op` posite sides of theframe-work, whereby rotation is given to the disk, as hereinafterdescribed. .'The ratchetplate F is mounted loosely, so that at a` suddendownward .movement of the cylinder it is disconnected from theratchet-teeth or bolts on the cylinder-head, whereby the drill is notrotated during an operative stroke.

This being the construction, the operation is as follows: Steam enteringthe port B, the cylinder being down, and through the deviceshereinbefore mentioned ldetermining the position of the valve-passage,said steam passes over the upper end of the valve and down into andthrough the same, and into and through the hollow xed piston-rod, andfrom thence out of the ports C', and therein exerts pressure against theupper surface ofthe iiXed pistou and the under surface of the upperpistonhead, whereby the cylinder, with the drill attached, is forcedupwardly in the frame-work, and compresses the spring E, so as to storetherein substantially as mgch power as there is pressure of steam. Upon'rising, the boltheads Q mesh with the ratchet-teeth F on the disk F, sothat the lugs of said disk, riding the cam-bar R, cause the disk, thecylinder, and the drill attached thereto to make a partial rotation, theextent of which is in accordance IOO IZO

with the inclination of the cambar, whereby the drill is caused to makeits next stroke or cut upon a different line from its preceding stroke.As the cylinder comes in contact with the tappet J the valve is raisedand the supply cut oft and the exhaust-port opened and the power storedin the spring forces the cylinder and drill downward to their work, whenthe former, coming in contact with the frame, causes it to slip down thelegs just the depth of the cut. To start the drill, the operator, takinghold ofthe handles, first drills the anchorfholes S, Fig. 3, eitherstraight or with an under-clit, as desired. He then enters the hooks Nand binds the foot-piece to the rock, when the regular work of drillingmay be carried on, as shown at T, without further manual attendance.

During the course of the work, in case a hard stratum is struck in therock, or in case ot' other variations in its texture, it may benecessary or advisable to change the power of the stroke. In order toaccomplish this,the operator has simply to either turn the gear l, whichconstitutes in other respects a handle, or the thumb-nut l, to raise orlower the tappet J, whereby more or less steam may be allowed to enterthe cylinder, as desired, and in accordance with the requirements ofthework.

In actual use a drill constructed upon the principles herein illustratedhas demonstrated the existence of inherent advantages of greatimportance.

lt will be noticed that steam is only used upon one side of thepiston-head, so that the air confined in the cylinder below said headacts as a cushion, against which the stoppage of the upwardreciproeation of the cylinder takes place, thereby obviating a tendencyto lift the machine hy the momentum ofthe cylinder during that stroke.This tendency is further overcome by the resistance of the spring, asthe power stored therein increases during the upward stroke ot' thecylinder. Again, the blow of a spring has an inherent peculiarit-y, inthat the power stored therein diminishes rapidly to zero as the springexpands, so that when the blow is struck by the spring there is nosurplus force remaining to exert a lifting` action upon the machine as awhole. By means of the adjusting-nut D', I am enabled to adapt springsoi' different terr sions to use, and to adapt all springs to store adesired amount of power within a desired lengt-h of stroke ofthecylinder, whereby I may give exceedingly strong blows with exceedinglyshort strokes ot' the cylinder, and may otherwise vary the operation ofthe machine in these respects. i

The mode of operation above described renders absolutely unnecessary theattachment of any extraneous weight or weights to the machine, in orderto counteract any tendency thereof to lift at any time during itsoperation, and although I have shown anchorage devices consisting of thefoot-piece and hooks, I wish it distinctly understood that they aredesigned for the purpose of enabling one operator to attend severalmachines, as this cannot be done without some device for maintaining themachine in the desired position,which of course must accord with thedirection in which the drilling is to take place; otherwise all that isnecessary to a satisfactory operation ot' the machine is that legs K beattached thereto, so as to be automatically short. ened at successivestrokes of the machine. Another peculiarity-is that steam is used tocause but one movement of the operative parts thereof-that is, to liftthe cylinder and store the power in the spring, while in other classesof steam-drills steam has been used to perform this function and alsothe function of giving that stroke of the operative parts,- wherebydouble the quantity of steam is required in such machines as comparedwith a machine constructed in accordance with my invention.

U, Fig. 2, represents an ordinary anglevalve applied to the machine, thestem of which is provided with the usual hand-wheel, U, whereby thesupply of steam may be regulated by the operator, and that conveniently.This valve is attached to the supply-port of the valve-chest.

Having described my invention and its operation, what I claim isj l l.In a steam rock-drill, the combination of a fixed hollow piston withports at the upper side of the head, a reciprocating cylinder carryingthe drill, and a spring arranged to be compressed by an upward movementof the cylinder, substantially as specified.

2. In a steam rock-drill,.a cylinder carrying the drill, a llxed pistonand a piston-head, and a spring, and steam-conduits arranged to deliversteam 'at one side of the piston only, substantially as specilied.

3. ln a steam rock-drill, a cylinder carrying the drill and a fixedpiston mounted in a framework, an interposed spring, and means foradjusting the pressure of the spring upon the cylinder, substantially asspecified.

4. In a steam rock-drill, a cylinder carry'- ing the drill and a fixedpiston and head, a frame-work provided with bearings for the cylinder'and carrying the fixed piston-rod, and an adjustable tappct projectinginto the .path of the cylinder, substantially as specified.

5. In a rock-drill, a reciprocating cylinder carrying the drill, aframe-work provided with bearings for the cylinder and carrying a fixedpistoirhead, and a hollow piston provided with ports above the headonly, a spring arranged to bear upon the cylinder, and a tappet-rodprovided with tappets projecting into the path of the cylinder andconnected with a valve for controlling the supply and exhaust of steam,substantially as specified.

6. In a steam rock-drill, a frame provided With a valve-chest, and witha hollow piston communicating therewith, and having ports above thepiston-head, and with supply and exhaust port-s, the former arranged atthe upper and the latter at the lower part of the valvechest, said framebeingT provided at its lower 'substantially as specified.

8. In a steam rock-drill, a reciprocating Cylinder carrying the drilland provided with ratchet-teeth upon its upper head, a ratchetdiskmounted upon said head and adapted to have slight longitudinal movement,and a cam bar or rod secured to the frame in which the cylinder ismounted, substantially as specified.

9. The combination of the cylinder A, the

frame B, tappetiod I, carrying the tappets I5 J, the bar`H, valve G, andthe hollow-piston C, havingthe ports G, and piston C, substant'ally asspecified.

10. The combination of the frame B, the handle B2, tappet-rod I, havingthe opening I, and the gear I2, mounted on the handle, substantially asspecified.

11. The combination of the cylinder-head A2, the bolts Q, the collar E,the disk F, having the teeth F and lugs Fl, and the Cam-bar R,substantially as specified.

12. The combination of the frame B, piston C, sleeve D, nut D', andcylinder A, carrying the drill A', substantially as specified.

13. An anchor for steam roclcdrills, comprising a foot-piece connectedwith the legs of a drill, and hooks mounted in the foot-piece andadapted to be drawn outwardly and adjustably secured, substantially asspeoied.

14. The Combination of the foot-piece M', having the slots l 2, with thehooks N, nuts N', and binding` nuts N2, substantially as specified.

`15. The combination of the frame B, provided with the lugs B7, of thebolt L and legs K, substantially as speeiied.

16, The open-ended tubular valve, in coinbination with the hollowpiston-rod having` ports only above the pistonhead, and with au exteriortappet-rod having tappets projecting into the path ofthe cylinder,substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix mysignaturein presence of two witnesses.

HORACE J. CLARK.

lvitnesses:

E, A. SKINNER, vC. l); INGERsoLL.

